What do you think?
Rate this book
Broken
Annabel, a troubled young woman trying to put her life back together, decides to take a trip to the Suffolk coast to clear her head and get away from her mother. But when she arrives in the little seaside town, she discovers a series of grisly murders have taken place and police are searching for a twisted killer.
After a fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger, Jude, the course of her life changes and soon she finds peace in a world away from the misery she has known.
But when Jude comes under suspicion from the police, and her idyllic world is threatened, Annabel’s happy existence starts to become a nightmare.
Can Annabel escape her painful past or is her fate sealed? And why is she haunted by horrific visions when she seems on the verge of finding happiness?
This astonishing novel will take you on a shattering journey through Annabel’s fight for survival and will ask if the greatest threat we pose is to ourselves.
Suitable for over 18’s only. It contains graphic scenes some readers may find disturbing.
(previously published under the title Beneath the Watery Moon)
After a fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger, Jude, the course of her life changes and soon she finds peace in a world away from the misery she has known.
But when Jude comes under suspicion from the police, and her idyllic world is threatened, Annabel’s happy existence starts to become a nightmare.
Can Annabel escape her painful past or is her fate sealed? And why is she haunted by horrific visions when she seems on the verge of finding happiness?
This astonishing novel will take you on a shattering journey through Annabel’s fight for survival and will ask if the greatest threat we pose is to ourselves.
Suitable for over 18’s only. It contains graphic scenes some readers may find disturbing.
(previously published under the title Beneath the Watery Moon)
242 pages, Paperback
First published February 11, 2019
427 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
About the author
Betsy Reavley
24 books270 followersBetsy Freeman Reavley is the author of Beneath the Watery Moon and A Worm in the Bottle. Carrion, her latest psychological thriller will be released in November 2014.
She was born in Hammersmith, London.
As a child she moved around frequently with her family, spending time in London, Provence, Tuscany, Gloucestershire and Cambridgeshire.
She showed a flair for literature and writing from a young age and had a particular interest in poetry, of which she was a prolific consumer and producer.
In her early twenties she moved to Oxford, where she would eventually meet her husband. During her time in Oxford her interests turned from poetry to novels and she began to develop her own unique style of psychological thriller.
Beneath the Watery Moon is Betsy Reavley’s beautifully written first release and tells the macabre story of a young woman battling against mental illness.
Beneath the Watery Moon is published by Not So Noble Books and is available as an eBook from Amazon.
Betsy Reavley's second novel Carrion is a psychological chiller that address the link between grief and mental illness.
Reavley says "I think people are at their most fascinating when they are faced with life's real horrors." This is what I love to write about.
Betsy Reavley currently lives in North London, with her husband 2 children, dog, cat and chickens. You can follow her on Twitter @BetsyReavley
She was born in Hammersmith, London.
As a child she moved around frequently with her family, spending time in London, Provence, Tuscany, Gloucestershire and Cambridgeshire.
She showed a flair for literature and writing from a young age and had a particular interest in poetry, of which she was a prolific consumer and producer.
In her early twenties she moved to Oxford, where she would eventually meet her husband. During her time in Oxford her interests turned from poetry to novels and she began to develop her own unique style of psychological thriller.
Beneath the Watery Moon is Betsy Reavley’s beautifully written first release and tells the macabre story of a young woman battling against mental illness.
Beneath the Watery Moon is published by Not So Noble Books and is available as an eBook from Amazon.
Betsy Reavley's second novel Carrion is a psychological chiller that address the link between grief and mental illness.
Reavley says "I think people are at their most fascinating when they are faced with life's real horrors." This is what I love to write about.
Betsy Reavley currently lives in North London, with her husband 2 children, dog, cat and chickens. You can follow her on Twitter @BetsyReavley
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
March 11, 2019
I found this book such heard work unfortunately. Very repetitive and there just didn't seem to be a story to it.
April 15, 2019
Annabel has recently been released from a mental institution. Back living with her mother and brother is not an ideal situation.
Taking a trip to a small coastal town, she hears news of murders that have taken place recently and the killer has not been caught.
Annabel meets Jude, the leader of a cult and she finds that this gives her the peace she so fervently desires. She hadn't counted on falling in love, but she has and for the first time she can remember, she's happy.
Until .....
Jude is suspected of the murders.
And then the hallucinations begin ... of violence, torture, sexual assault. Are these really only in her mind or has she become the latest victim of a monstrous killer?
WARNING .. . The narrative is disturbing, graphic, and could be a trigger for sensitive readers.
This was an attempt to travel through the mind of someone with a mental illness ...exposing the darkness and pain. The story plot didn't live up to what I had expected and I found myself wanting to skip pages to get to the end.
Many thanks to the author / Bloodhound Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological drama. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Taking a trip to a small coastal town, she hears news of murders that have taken place recently and the killer has not been caught.
Annabel meets Jude, the leader of a cult and she finds that this gives her the peace she so fervently desires. She hadn't counted on falling in love, but she has and for the first time she can remember, she's happy.
Until .....
Jude is suspected of the murders.
And then the hallucinations begin ... of violence, torture, sexual assault. Are these really only in her mind or has she become the latest victim of a monstrous killer?
WARNING .. . The narrative is disturbing, graphic, and could be a trigger for sensitive readers.
This was an attempt to travel through the mind of someone with a mental illness ...exposing the darkness and pain. The story plot didn't live up to what I had expected and I found myself wanting to skip pages to get to the end.
Many thanks to the author / Bloodhound Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological drama. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
February 20, 2019
I’ve read one previous book by this author and after reading this I really need to read her previous books as this was a great read.
I started this one evening and yes I ended up staying awake too late to read it all. I just couldn’t put it down.
Annabel’s trying to move on after being released from a mental institution. She needs to get away so finds herself in Suffolk where she meets Jude. She finally finds peace and happiness. That all changes when Jude is suspected of being involved in murdering women.
This author has pushed boundaries for some in this story. Personally I’m warped so I loved it.
Un put down able. This story was so so good. I seriously cannot wait to read more from this author soon.
I started this one evening and yes I ended up staying awake too late to read it all. I just couldn’t put it down.
Annabel’s trying to move on after being released from a mental institution. She needs to get away so finds herself in Suffolk where she meets Jude. She finally finds peace and happiness. That all changes when Jude is suspected of being involved in murdering women.
This author has pushed boundaries for some in this story. Personally I’m warped so I loved it.
Un put down able. This story was so so good. I seriously cannot wait to read more from this author soon.
November 5, 2019
Annabel is overwhelmed with her mother, so she got away in order to try and regroup. She has no easy path ahead of her, however. As she travels to the coast, she ends up at a town where a series of murders has occurred. Running into a stranger, however, a mysterious man named Jude, brings Annabel a measure of peace.
As the police are searching for the killer, Jude actually becomes a suspect, and the peace that Annabel was seeking is shattered. Not only that, but event after event happens, and Annabel's life has catapulted into a living nightmare.
More about Annabel. And this was a bit difficult to assimilate. She had been hospitalized in a mental institution. It comes to no surprise that she wants to start over. No such peaceful existence for her. She uses her talent at writing poetry to purge her thoughts. Some of these poems are truly disturbing.
Instead, this book, which is a mix of a mystery and horror. It is dark, gruesome and spine-tingling. Not a real favorite, but definitely a page turner. I am still very eager to read more by Betsy Reavley, but won't grab the book if it is labeled horror.
Many thanks to Bloodhound Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
As the police are searching for the killer, Jude actually becomes a suspect, and the peace that Annabel was seeking is shattered. Not only that, but event after event happens, and Annabel's life has catapulted into a living nightmare.
More about Annabel. And this was a bit difficult to assimilate. She had been hospitalized in a mental institution. It comes to no surprise that she wants to start over. No such peaceful existence for her. She uses her talent at writing poetry to purge her thoughts. Some of these poems are truly disturbing.
Instead, this book, which is a mix of a mystery and horror. It is dark, gruesome and spine-tingling. Not a real favorite, but definitely a page turner. I am still very eager to read more by Betsy Reavley, but won't grab the book if it is labeled horror.
Many thanks to Bloodhound Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
April 3, 2019
"Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist; children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that the dragons can be killed."
Annabel definitely believes in fairy tales even after she recently spent a stint at Redwood psychiatric hospital in Suffolk. Now age 23, Annabel has had a mental breakdown, was diagnosed with manic depressive illness and gotten well enough to be released back to her mother and brother. Desperate to re-enter her life sane and more independent, she tries to follow the program, take her meds and figure out the rest of her life. Things change after she books a trip to a little seaside town named Southwold. It's there that she meets Jude, the love of her life, and starts to have some hope again. But Annabel is fragile and some things are just not to be. NO SPOILERS.
What to say about this -- well, if you can stomach the extremely graphic descriptions of rape and torture and you have the heart to listen to the poetry and ramblings of a woman completely unhinged -- then this is the book for you. It really wasn't my cup of tea but I read valiantly to the end hoping there'd be some sort of payoff for all the violence. All I feel is abject sadness and a sense of melancholy that will require a huge drink of some sort of alcoholic beverage and some happy television to rid myself of all the disturbing prose I've read and the horrific images created by this book. I can't imagine what it would take to write a book such as this but it may appeal to some readers at a certain level that I can't fathom. I can honestly say that I only finished reading it because I always finish what I start. And I can't help but wonder, what was the point of this book?? I'm eager to hear what others can tell me about that. OH, and I'm not a poetry fan anyway, but this is me done.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for this e-book ARC to read and review. If you're thinking about picking it up, proceed with caution.
Annabel definitely believes in fairy tales even after she recently spent a stint at Redwood psychiatric hospital in Suffolk. Now age 23, Annabel has had a mental breakdown, was diagnosed with manic depressive illness and gotten well enough to be released back to her mother and brother. Desperate to re-enter her life sane and more independent, she tries to follow the program, take her meds and figure out the rest of her life. Things change after she books a trip to a little seaside town named Southwold. It's there that she meets Jude, the love of her life, and starts to have some hope again. But Annabel is fragile and some things are just not to be. NO SPOILERS.
What to say about this -- well, if you can stomach the extremely graphic descriptions of rape and torture and you have the heart to listen to the poetry and ramblings of a woman completely unhinged -- then this is the book for you. It really wasn't my cup of tea but I read valiantly to the end hoping there'd be some sort of payoff for all the violence. All I feel is abject sadness and a sense of melancholy that will require a huge drink of some sort of alcoholic beverage and some happy television to rid myself of all the disturbing prose I've read and the horrific images created by this book. I can't imagine what it would take to write a book such as this but it may appeal to some readers at a certain level that I can't fathom. I can honestly say that I only finished reading it because I always finish what I start. And I can't help but wonder, what was the point of this book?? I'm eager to hear what others can tell me about that. OH, and I'm not a poetry fan anyway, but this is me done.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for this e-book ARC to read and review. If you're thinking about picking it up, proceed with caution.
February 28, 2019
I had read this book when it was originally titled Beneath the Watery Moon, and was interested to see what Betsy had done with it. I'd admired Watery Moon, but after reading Broken my feelings on the book are stronger.
I'm not sure what Betsy's intentions were with Annabelle and what happens to her - is she/it a fictional reality or a representation of the mental illness (manic depression,) that features in the story? Everything I read seemed as though it was symbolic of the illness.
Because I saw things this way, the violence, torture and rape scenes didn't shock me because of the brutality of what was happening to Annabelle's body, but because it showed me just how dark and painful mental illness can be and how helpless many people must feel with it being part of their lives.
Annabelle also writes poetry which allows her to express her thoughts and feelings. All of them fit into the prose well and I found the final poem of the book especially moving.
Broken is a brave and courageous piece of work that will stay with me for a long time to come.
I'm not sure what Betsy's intentions were with Annabelle and what happens to her - is she/it a fictional reality or a representation of the mental illness (manic depression,) that features in the story? Everything I read seemed as though it was symbolic of the illness.
Because I saw things this way, the violence, torture and rape scenes didn't shock me because of the brutality of what was happening to Annabelle's body, but because it showed me just how dark and painful mental illness can be and how helpless many people must feel with it being part of their lives.
Annabelle also writes poetry which allows her to express her thoughts and feelings. All of them fit into the prose well and I found the final poem of the book especially moving.
Broken is a brave and courageous piece of work that will stay with me for a long time to come.
January 27, 2019
I wasn't really sure where this book was going and by the end there really wasn't any clear idea. The book feels like three parts that really don't mesh together. It starts with a cultish group, turns into a vacation story between two lovers that is mostly sex and meals, and then ends in the conclusion the book hypes. While there is shocking violence it's nothing you haven't already seen other books tackled. It is done in an exploitive way and the plot leading up to it doesn't justify any of it.
___
I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review
___
I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review
February 2, 2019
Broken
Written by Betsy Reavley
Genre – Psychological Thriller, Horror
Rating – 2.5/5 Stars
Available soon
Not for the weak stomached. Many triggers! Unique writing style!
Annabel has been through hell and back. After staying in a mental hospital, she returns home with a plan to put her life back together. She goes on a little getaway to the Suffolk coast. Shortly after arriving, she discovers a string of murders has taken place in the town. The bodies of the victims are found tortured and almost unrecognizable. She meets a charming, mysterious man who welcomes her into his life. He lives with a group of people who have formed their own community away from the madness of everyday life. She is so happy to be here, but she is being haunted by visions of blood and pain.
Meanwhile, what is the murderer up to? What does he have to do with Annabel? Has Annabel left her world of hallucinations behind or is she diving back in head deep.
This is a story of strength and torture. It is a dark, gruesome and gory tale. I had to wait a day before writing this review, as my emotions were running wild. Initially, I would have said I absolutely hated this book. After consideration, I respect the author’s writing style. She took me places I haven’t been often as a reader, I did not necessarily want to go to these places, but the fact that I went there unknowingly is a skill only the most talented authors possess. I would warn you, shall you choose to read this book, it is horrifying in a graphic, gruesome way. Please don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Written by Betsy Reavley
Genre – Psychological Thriller, Horror
Rating – 2.5/5 Stars
Available soon
Not for the weak stomached. Many triggers! Unique writing style!
Annabel has been through hell and back. After staying in a mental hospital, she returns home with a plan to put her life back together. She goes on a little getaway to the Suffolk coast. Shortly after arriving, she discovers a string of murders has taken place in the town. The bodies of the victims are found tortured and almost unrecognizable. She meets a charming, mysterious man who welcomes her into his life. He lives with a group of people who have formed their own community away from the madness of everyday life. She is so happy to be here, but she is being haunted by visions of blood and pain.
Meanwhile, what is the murderer up to? What does he have to do with Annabel? Has Annabel left her world of hallucinations behind or is she diving back in head deep.
This is a story of strength and torture. It is a dark, gruesome and gory tale. I had to wait a day before writing this review, as my emotions were running wild. Initially, I would have said I absolutely hated this book. After consideration, I respect the author’s writing style. She took me places I haven’t been often as a reader, I did not necessarily want to go to these places, but the fact that I went there unknowingly is a skill only the most talented authors possess. I would warn you, shall you choose to read this book, it is horrifying in a graphic, gruesome way. Please don’t say I didn’t warn you.
January 24, 2019
Thank you to #NetGalley and #bloodhound for this ARC of #Broken
A horror novel that complacently explores the depths of mental illness. The story is told in first person by our main character, Annabelle, and of the strange things that happen after her discharge from a psychiatric rehabilitation center. The narrative is disturbing, graphic, and could be a trigger for sensitive readers. The development of the tertiary characters felt precipitous while the scene set up and dialogue in other areas seemed drawn out. The pace of the plot slowed midway through. Whether it was this or the continual suffering that took place after the fact, the plot twist was simply anticlimactic. 2 stars
A horror novel that complacently explores the depths of mental illness. The story is told in first person by our main character, Annabelle, and of the strange things that happen after her discharge from a psychiatric rehabilitation center. The narrative is disturbing, graphic, and could be a trigger for sensitive readers. The development of the tertiary characters felt precipitous while the scene set up and dialogue in other areas seemed drawn out. The pace of the plot slowed midway through. Whether it was this or the continual suffering that took place after the fact, the plot twist was simply anticlimactic. 2 stars
February 26, 2019
I received this ARC book from Netgalley for honest Review.
What a great thrill and suspense it was to read. What a great psychological thrill! This novel had everything in it. The thrill, the suspense, the psychological, romance and the twist is crazy. This novel will keep you thinking and guessing. When you think you right, well let me just say that you might be wrong. This had me all over the place. My heart beating so fast! I couldn't believe what I was reading. If had me in shock. Every page, every chapter was a page turner. I couldn't believe my eyes what I was reading. I highly recommend everybody get this book and read it. It will surprise you in every way.
The storyline was very good!
The theme and setting was well put together. The characters was well put together in the story.
This story will have in a rollercoaster with all the spooky and secrets. Was so well put in the story.
Everything all in one book.
It was just perfect!
I highly recommend everybody get this and read it.
What a great read! This had me hooked from the beginning. What a Rollercoaster! The sitting, theme, and the Characters had me pulled so in. Everything was well put together and it was just perfect. This novel would have you guess and thinking all the way to the end. What a great thrill and suspense. I love a great suspense that would have me think and guessing. This novel did just that to me. To the point that am wrong. When the ending comes am on shock. I wouldn't of never believe or guess. Like OMG!
Highly recommend everybody get this book and read it. Its so good!
Can't wait for her next book.
#broken
What a great thrill and suspense it was to read. What a great psychological thrill! This novel had everything in it. The thrill, the suspense, the psychological, romance and the twist is crazy. This novel will keep you thinking and guessing. When you think you right, well let me just say that you might be wrong. This had me all over the place. My heart beating so fast! I couldn't believe what I was reading. If had me in shock. Every page, every chapter was a page turner. I couldn't believe my eyes what I was reading. I highly recommend everybody get this book and read it. It will surprise you in every way.
The storyline was very good!
The theme and setting was well put together. The characters was well put together in the story.
This story will have in a rollercoaster with all the spooky and secrets. Was so well put in the story.
Everything all in one book.
It was just perfect!
I highly recommend everybody get this and read it.
What a great read! This had me hooked from the beginning. What a Rollercoaster! The sitting, theme, and the Characters had me pulled so in. Everything was well put together and it was just perfect. This novel would have you guess and thinking all the way to the end. What a great thrill and suspense. I love a great suspense that would have me think and guessing. This novel did just that to me. To the point that am wrong. When the ending comes am on shock. I wouldn't of never believe or guess. Like OMG!
Highly recommend everybody get this book and read it. Its so good!
Can't wait for her next book.
#broken
February 28, 2019
All I would like to say, is that I really disliked this book. There were a lot of unnecessary and disgusting details including rape, torture, murder... and I just really can not recommend this book to anyone. Not because of the content of the book, but because I don’t know what the point of this story was.
February 17, 2019
The book revolves around Annabel, a 23 year old who has recently been released from a psychiatric hospital into the care of her family. She has mental health problems, I think some sort of paranoia and delusions, which led to a violent episode but oddly she has just been released with a load of medication and no care from a psychiatrist or other health care expert. She feels strangely drawn to a place called Southwold on the Suffolk coast where the bodies of two murdered women have been found and takes a short holiday there alone. She meets a charismatic man called Jude who owns and runs a self-sufficient pot smoking commune of adoring women. He takes her there and over the next few months appears to groom this vulnerable young woman until at Christmas she agrees to abandon her home and move into Christie Hall. She is feeling much better in her own head, loves her companions and starts writing awful strange poetry as a release. The story starts to become interspersed with accounts of someone who has been tied up and abducted in the boot of a car but whose story is it? Are these Annabel's dreams? In some small ways this book reminded me of The Crow Girl and the way the mind conjures up memories. Oh, and then a third woman's body is discovered.
The first half of the book felt a little slow and drawn out. The second half rapidly turned into a complete horror nightmare. I can't say much more without giving spoilers except where mental health issues are involved, what is real and what is not can be very hard to discern. I have to point out there are a lot of graphic descriptions of rape, abuse and torture, and in view of this many readers will not finish or be comfortable with the book. If you have any sort of problem with this subject type then this is probably not a book for you. I would hate to see it get bad reviews due to readers not knowing what they are letting themselves in for. 4 stars for such a well written and great account of depravity and darkness. You may not like the book but you will not be in any doubt about what a great job the author has done. This is definitely one book that is going to get talked about!
The first half of the book felt a little slow and drawn out. The second half rapidly turned into a complete horror nightmare. I can't say much more without giving spoilers except where mental health issues are involved, what is real and what is not can be very hard to discern. I have to point out there are a lot of graphic descriptions of rape, abuse and torture, and in view of this many readers will not finish or be comfortable with the book. If you have any sort of problem with this subject type then this is probably not a book for you. I would hate to see it get bad reviews due to readers not knowing what they are letting themselves in for. 4 stars for such a well written and great account of depravity and darkness. You may not like the book but you will not be in any doubt about what a great job the author has done. This is definitely one book that is going to get talked about!
April 1, 2019
This book was billed as a heart stopping thriller with a killer twist. Um, no. This might be the worst book I've ever read - and that's saying something because I've read some pretty bad books.
So this is about Annabel, who, after leaving her mother's house, joins a cult. She ends up developing feelings for the cult's leader. Really there's not much else to say about that part. It's boring as hell.
Next we're reading about the torture Annabel goes through after she's kidnapped. We never know how exactly she was taken. We have a slight idea but no real specifics. What does get very specific? The methods of torture taken out on her. It's incredibly difficult to read. It's grotesque. My face twisted in revolt several times while reading it. It is not for the faint of heart.
I hate rating a book with only one star. The book was well written by the author grammatically. There could have been so much more done with this book. What was she trying to say? Just know this if you decide to read this...the description of the book is not even close to what the book was actually about. I kept waiting for it to get better and actually get to the plot that was described and it just never did. I was quite disappointed.
So this is about Annabel, who, after leaving her mother's house, joins a cult. She ends up developing feelings for the cult's leader. Really there's not much else to say about that part. It's boring as hell.
Next we're reading about the torture Annabel goes through after she's kidnapped. We never know how exactly she was taken. We have a slight idea but no real specifics. What does get very specific? The methods of torture taken out on her. It's incredibly difficult to read. It's grotesque. My face twisted in revolt several times while reading it. It is not for the faint of heart.
I hate rating a book with only one star. The book was well written by the author grammatically. There could have been so much more done with this book. What was she trying to say? Just know this if you decide to read this...the description of the book is not even close to what the book was actually about. I kept waiting for it to get better and actually get to the plot that was described and it just never did. I was quite disappointed.
February 20, 2019
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
The blurb on the cover of Broken by Betsy Reavley says "the most disturbing book you will read this year". I tend to be sceptical when a book has a claim that it is the best book ever or something similar printed on its cover. However, "the most disturbing book you will read this year" is probably an understatement. It is probably the most disturbing book I have read this decade.
In chapter 19, one of the characters says, "I felt like the driver who stops to look at a fatal accident on the motorway". That is a great description on how I felt reading this book. It was like an accident that I just could not look away from.
The author grabs your attention and makes you feel the story. You can hear what Annabel hears. You can feel what Annabel feels. It is a well written story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
It is NOT for the weak of heart and is recommended for people over the age of 18. It contains graphic scenes and intense acts of violence. Do not take this warning lightly.
The only word I keep repeating is ""wow".
Review published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 2/19/19.
The blurb on the cover of Broken by Betsy Reavley says "the most disturbing book you will read this year". I tend to be sceptical when a book has a claim that it is the best book ever or something similar printed on its cover. However, "the most disturbing book you will read this year" is probably an understatement. It is probably the most disturbing book I have read this decade.
In chapter 19, one of the characters says, "I felt like the driver who stops to look at a fatal accident on the motorway". That is a great description on how I felt reading this book. It was like an accident that I just could not look away from.
The author grabs your attention and makes you feel the story. You can hear what Annabel hears. You can feel what Annabel feels. It is a well written story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
It is NOT for the weak of heart and is recommended for people over the age of 18. It contains graphic scenes and intense acts of violence. Do not take this warning lightly.
The only word I keep repeating is ""wow".
Review published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 2/19/19.
January 28, 2019
Broken by Betsy Reavley.
Omg an absolutely fantastic read with great characters. I didn't expect that. What a twister of a read.
Annabel, a troubled young woman trying to put her life back together, decides to take a trip to the Suffolk coast to clear her head and get away from her mother. But when she arrives in the little seaside town, she discovers a series of grisly murders have taken place and police are searching for a twisted killer.
After a fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger, Jude, the course of her life changes and soon she finds peace in a world away from the misery she has known.
But when Jude comes under suspicion from the police, and her idyllic world is threatened, Annabel’s happy existence starts to become a nightmare.
Can Annabel escape her painful past or is her fate sealed? And why is she haunted by horrific visions when she seems on the verge of finding happiness?
This is a very dark read. The things the killer does is sick. Dark and gripping. 5**.
Omg an absolutely fantastic read with great characters. I didn't expect that. What a twister of a read.
Annabel, a troubled young woman trying to put her life back together, decides to take a trip to the Suffolk coast to clear her head and get away from her mother. But when she arrives in the little seaside town, she discovers a series of grisly murders have taken place and police are searching for a twisted killer.
After a fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger, Jude, the course of her life changes and soon she finds peace in a world away from the misery she has known.
But when Jude comes under suspicion from the police, and her idyllic world is threatened, Annabel’s happy existence starts to become a nightmare.
Can Annabel escape her painful past or is her fate sealed? And why is she haunted by horrific visions when she seems on the verge of finding happiness?
This is a very dark read. The things the killer does is sick. Dark and gripping. 5**.
February 21, 2019
Annabelle had just spent 4 months in a psychiatric hospital due to manic depression. She is 23 years old and, to her, returning to her mom's house to recuperate is almost a step backward. So, Belle decides to go on a trip, alone. She tells her mom that she is visiting a friend, Toby. However, she travels to a hotel in rural Suffolk - in the vicinity where two young women have just been murdered. There, Belle meets Jude, who takes her to his mansion, and she is pleasantly surprised with his gardens and spacious house. (And she also likes Jude, too).
Eventually, Belle moves in to the house as it is a commune that grows their own food and shares in the chores. When one of the women has a baby and Belle finds out that it is Jude's, Belle is jealous! She wants to be with Jude. Nightmares continue to plague Belle, as well.
Belle tells Jude that she is leaving and he entices her back. The nightmares continue, yet her love for him is so overwhelming that she deals with the dreams. Eventually, Belle and Jude make love and become a couple. Jude announces this at a meal and the commune residents are not too concerned.
At Christmastime, Jude takes Belle on a lovely vacation to Thailand. He wines and dines her, they make love and have fun on the beaches. Even so, the nightmares continue and Belle becomes very afraid of these life-like horrors. On the final night of their stay in Thailand, Jude proposes to Belle and she accepts his grandmother's diamond engagement ring.
However, when Belle wakes up from her nightmare the next day.....
A superb read - one of the best thrillers I have read, yet! A MUST READ!!!
Many Thanks to Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for one of this year's top reads !!!
Eventually, Belle moves in to the house as it is a commune that grows their own food and shares in the chores. When one of the women has a baby and Belle finds out that it is Jude's, Belle is jealous! She wants to be with Jude. Nightmares continue to plague Belle, as well.
Belle tells Jude that she is leaving and he entices her back. The nightmares continue, yet her love for him is so overwhelming that she deals with the dreams. Eventually, Belle and Jude make love and become a couple. Jude announces this at a meal and the commune residents are not too concerned.
At Christmastime, Jude takes Belle on a lovely vacation to Thailand. He wines and dines her, they make love and have fun on the beaches. Even so, the nightmares continue and Belle becomes very afraid of these life-like horrors. On the final night of their stay in Thailand, Jude proposes to Belle and she accepts his grandmother's diamond engagement ring.
However, when Belle wakes up from her nightmare the next day.....
A superb read - one of the best thrillers I have read, yet! A MUST READ!!!
Many Thanks to Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for one of this year's top reads !!!
March 2, 2019
Loved it
Have to say I loved it even though I didn't understand it it. Did Annabel give in to the madness in her mind. Was there really a monster who tortured her. I'm conflicted. Did Jude exist. Whatever it made for brilliant reading. I will be thinking about this long after finishing it. Well done Betsy👍📕
Have to say I loved it even though I didn't understand it it. Did Annabel give in to the madness in her mind. Was there really a monster who tortured her. I'm conflicted. Did Jude exist. Whatever it made for brilliant reading. I will be thinking about this long after finishing it. Well done Betsy👍📕
February 18, 2019
Happy Publication Day. This book comes with a warning for over 18s only… What did I just read? What the hell. Messed with my mind. This has to be Betsys darkest and best story yet. I got to a point where I nearly put the book down it was that grim, twisted and dark. But ofcourse I had to keep on reading to see what happened.
I managed to read most of this in a day. At first I was like ahhh this ain’t so bad enjoying the book, but then towards the end it turned into pure horror and torture. It was so descriptive and dark that it made me feel sick and turned my stomach..
Broken is brilliantly written and highlights how much mental health can mess you up and take you to the darkest of places. A book you feel bad for enjoying as this has to be the darkest, twisted and grim book I have read ever. I think I need time to get over reading this one. Luckily I didn’t have any nightmares! But my gosh, a book you cannot forget.
I awarded a well deserved four stars and would highly recommend. However, you have been warned about how dark and grim this book really is, a hard read towards the end. A story that will have you talking about it and thinking about it afterwards, its unique and different to each and every reader… Which I think is bloody brilliant. Clever. Well played Betsy.
I managed to read most of this in a day. At first I was like ahhh this ain’t so bad enjoying the book, but then towards the end it turned into pure horror and torture. It was so descriptive and dark that it made me feel sick and turned my stomach..
Broken is brilliantly written and highlights how much mental health can mess you up and take you to the darkest of places. A book you feel bad for enjoying as this has to be the darkest, twisted and grim book I have read ever. I think I need time to get over reading this one. Luckily I didn’t have any nightmares! But my gosh, a book you cannot forget.
I awarded a well deserved four stars and would highly recommend. However, you have been warned about how dark and grim this book really is, a hard read towards the end. A story that will have you talking about it and thinking about it afterwards, its unique and different to each and every reader… Which I think is bloody brilliant. Clever. Well played Betsy.
February 16, 2019
"Suitable for over 18's only. It contains graphic scenes some readers may find disturbing."
This is probably the best way to peak my interest in a book! I like being pushed to the boundary of the content I'm reading and I've only read a couple of books where it's actually made me think "shit...that was....". The first one being AMERICAN PSYCHO by Bret Easton Ellis and then HEART SWARM by Allan Watson. Based on the blurb alone I was ready to dive in.
Now, like most reviewers, I found myself reading the book and thinking I had an idea of where the story was going, but then wondering where and when the graphic content would come in. I keep going and then BAM!! Like a frying pan to the face, it got me...and it got me good!!
My next expressions and emotions can only best be described through a sequence of gifs....
That pretty much sums it up!! With all the gifs aside, I LOVED this book! Not sure what that says about me?! What I loved the most was how Betsy led us up the garden path towards the house, but then blew that house and garden up and left us there wondering "WTF?" what do we do now?! This is most certainly a credit to Betsy and her writing. I was left wondering what I'd just read....but wanting more!
100% agree that if you are turned off by graphic scenes of torture, then you may want to stay clear of this book. However, if you're looking to push your reading boundaries.... bob this on your shelf ;)
** THANKS SO MUCH TO BLOODHOUND BOOKS & BETSY REAVLEY FOR MY ARC IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
This is probably the best way to peak my interest in a book! I like being pushed to the boundary of the content I'm reading and I've only read a couple of books where it's actually made me think "shit...that was....". The first one being AMERICAN PSYCHO by Bret Easton Ellis and then HEART SWARM by Allan Watson. Based on the blurb alone I was ready to dive in.
Now, like most reviewers, I found myself reading the book and thinking I had an idea of where the story was going, but then wondering where and when the graphic content would come in. I keep going and then BAM!! Like a frying pan to the face, it got me...and it got me good!!
My next expressions and emotions can only best be described through a sequence of gifs....
That pretty much sums it up!! With all the gifs aside, I LOVED this book! Not sure what that says about me?! What I loved the most was how Betsy led us up the garden path towards the house, but then blew that house and garden up and left us there wondering "WTF?" what do we do now?! This is most certainly a credit to Betsy and her writing. I was left wondering what I'd just read....but wanting more!
100% agree that if you are turned off by graphic scenes of torture, then you may want to stay clear of this book. However, if you're looking to push your reading boundaries.... bob this on your shelf ;)
** THANKS SO MUCH TO BLOODHOUND BOOKS & BETSY REAVLEY FOR MY ARC IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **
February 15, 2019
First of all i have to address the extremely detailed disturbing parts of this novel, this should be an 18+ book only. I had a hard time reading through the end, it was so violent and twisted. It disturbed me more than i thought it would and i have read some pretty disturbing books. The first half of this book introduced us to some well thought out/well written characters that are easy to relate to. Its almost a love story with the undercurrent of something darker. You can kind of predict what is happening but when you turn that corner from love story to horror the book does a 180. This is hands down the most violent, detailed account i have ever read of the torture of a human being and its not easy to read its horrific and long, drawn out torture that is unimaginable. I had nightmares. There wasnt a happily ever after. The book lost one star from me for the first half being slightly slow and drawn out and for the fact that there are a few things left unaddressed in the book and i dont like when pieces that form t he book are simply missing.
If you have a weak stomach dont read this and dont read it alone at night.
If you have a weak stomach dont read this and dont read it alone at night.
February 7, 2019
I was given the opportunity to read ‘Broken’ before the release date, this book is a truely unique Crime/Thriller and I have never encountered a book that has left such a profound impact as this. Even days after reading and discussing the book with my daughter I was still contemplating my thoughts and analysing the contents in great detail. I found it very gripping and felt myself wanting to read more every night.
The two minds that ‘Broken’ puts you in is captivating. The connection you feel with the female lead is also extremely powerful and the connection continues throughout the whole story.
Even though I throughly relished this book, truthfully it wasn’t one I would have chosen myself however after reading I genuinely feel it has made me realise its time to broaden my collection. I am very thankful to have been given the chance to read ‘Broken’ before the release; I will be looking out for this author again in the future she is a real credit to herself with her style of writing and ideas. Thank you, Vanessa.
The two minds that ‘Broken’ puts you in is captivating. The connection you feel with the female lead is also extremely powerful and the connection continues throughout the whole story.
Even though I throughly relished this book, truthfully it wasn’t one I would have chosen myself however after reading I genuinely feel it has made me realise its time to broaden my collection. I am very thankful to have been given the chance to read ‘Broken’ before the release; I will be looking out for this author again in the future she is a real credit to herself with her style of writing and ideas. Thank you, Vanessa.
January 25, 2019
One minute I’m reading about a budding romance and the next I’m thrown into some hellish nightmare. Trying myself to distinguish between what’s real and what’s fantasy.
This is unlike any horror story I’ve ever read. Quickly you’ve forgotten this story is supposed to be something else until you’re slapped in the face with a chapter about rape and unfathomable brutality.
The hell contained in these few chapters quickly erases the previous love soaked ones you recently finished.
I feel like I’ll need a few days to process this story. So I’ll leave the review as is....
*ARC provided by NetGalley and BloodHound Books*
This is unlike any horror story I’ve ever read. Quickly you’ve forgotten this story is supposed to be something else until you’re slapped in the face with a chapter about rape and unfathomable brutality.
The hell contained in these few chapters quickly erases the previous love soaked ones you recently finished.
I feel like I’ll need a few days to process this story. So I’ll leave the review as is....
*ARC provided by NetGalley and BloodHound Books*
October 23, 2019
Total shite. A weird, badly written idea for a plot, poorly executed, with little redeeming value. You know that the whole Jude thing is crap. Using the name 'Jude' alone seemed like Reavley was trying to root the character in some literary history: Patron Saint of Lost Causes? Yeah he be that. Jude The Obscure? Yep he's definitely that. Hey Jude...Take A Sad Song And Make It Better? Yeah, that's how she uses him. It's pretty heavy handed. As is all the rape and torture porn. Now I'm not complaining about that content on the grounds of it being too upsetting or offensive - far from it. I'm pretty much inured to anything like that. I've been so thoroughly desensitized to all forms of violence that I really don't care how much you hammer nails into the knees of your protag, or if you set fire to her and then drag her ulcerated burned back down a splintering wooded work surface. I really don't react at all to hearing about how the baddie raped her every which way to the moon, till she practically died from internal bleeding. Heck even throwing a bucket of piss all over her didn't make me flicker an eyelid. What it DID all do however, was bore the tits off of me.
We live in a time where the notion of a video nasty is something we can now pretty much laugh at. I grew up watching 'banned' VHS copies of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and 'A Clockwork Orange', wondering what all the fuss was about. You can show me videos or write lengthy description of the most explicit torture and I won't bat an eyelid (unless it involves someone I truly care about - and trust me that is a very short 'single-digit' list). But I can appreciate when it's done well (one of my favourite films is a French one called 'Martyrs' which has some pretty cool violence and gore in it). This book was not done well. I didn't care about the character. I didn't care if she lived or died. I didn't care if she escaped or was shackled there for ever. She was a boring, dumb, one dimensional annoyance who I would happily have plucked the toes off of using pliers, just to break up the abject monotony of her personality - or lack thereof.
However the author goes full pelt, torture porn, trying to shock the reader into a sense of just how gruelling and savage an attack from a loony sadist can be...but just ends up writing a boring old treatise on the various things one can do to a human body when there's eff all on the television and you need to pass the time. It's a bit like 100 days of Sodom. After a few chapters you're like "Yeah I get it, you screwed everyone you could think of, in every single orifice they had, then had a poop-eating-piss-party and made your captives screw their own offspring...I get it....you're like super-fricken depraved....but I've seen all your tricks. I'm bored now. What else have you got to offer me?"
This book is so unbelievably dull and pointless and badly written. Save yourself the time and the money. Find something that doesn't scream I'M JUST SO TERRIBLY EDGY! LOOK AT ALL THE TERRIBLE THINGS I CAN LIST HERE!
We live in a time where the notion of a video nasty is something we can now pretty much laugh at. I grew up watching 'banned' VHS copies of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and 'A Clockwork Orange', wondering what all the fuss was about. You can show me videos or write lengthy description of the most explicit torture and I won't bat an eyelid (unless it involves someone I truly care about - and trust me that is a very short 'single-digit' list). But I can appreciate when it's done well (one of my favourite films is a French one called 'Martyrs' which has some pretty cool violence and gore in it). This book was not done well. I didn't care about the character. I didn't care if she lived or died. I didn't care if she escaped or was shackled there for ever. She was a boring, dumb, one dimensional annoyance who I would happily have plucked the toes off of using pliers, just to break up the abject monotony of her personality - or lack thereof.
However the author goes full pelt, torture porn, trying to shock the reader into a sense of just how gruelling and savage an attack from a loony sadist can be...but just ends up writing a boring old treatise on the various things one can do to a human body when there's eff all on the television and you need to pass the time. It's a bit like 100 days of Sodom. After a few chapters you're like "Yeah I get it, you screwed everyone you could think of, in every single orifice they had, then had a poop-eating-piss-party and made your captives screw their own offspring...I get it....you're like super-fricken depraved....but I've seen all your tricks. I'm bored now. What else have you got to offer me?"
This book is so unbelievably dull and pointless and badly written. Save yourself the time and the money. Find something that doesn't scream I'M JUST SO TERRIBLY EDGY! LOOK AT ALL THE TERRIBLE THINGS I CAN LIST HERE!
February 4, 2019
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
--Edgar Allan Poe
*Reader Warning* This book is full of triggers and not for the weak of heart. I’m not kidding!
Annabel has been fighting a battle with mental illness. Diagnosed manic depressive, she’s recently been released from a mental institution. Needing a fresh start away from the prying eyes of her family, Annabel goes on holiday to the coast of Suffolk. But little did she realize when booking her escape, this seaside village has been plagued with horrific deaths of young women. Not one easily put off by this news, Annabel opts to stay and meets a mysterious man, Jude, who befriends her and offers a chance to get away from her troubles and live within the confines of his “community”. As the days pass, Annabel is haunted by visions of pain and despair. Annabel must make a choice to either stay locked away within the safety Jude offers or fight off the nightmare her life has become.
After reading the blurb for Broken, I was intrigued and requested a copy. Dear Reader, this story is NOTHING like the blurb teases. Broken is a hauntingly horrific tale that will reach into the darkest corners of your mind and stay there. Rape, murder and madness abound in this graphic story, and I honestly am at a loss as how to rate it. My first instinct was I didn’t like it. But the author did such a good job in the depiction of the depravity done to Annabel that I had to stop and rethink how to review the book. Can I recommend? Not really. I do read a lot of dark erotica and disturbing accounts, but Broken was a little out of even my comfort zone. However, if you are a fan of torture porn and a story with lots of twists and turns, this may be right up your alley! Kudos to Betsy Reavley for creating a world that finally reached my “ick” warning.
*Received ARC via NetGalley for honest review*
But a dream within a dream?
--Edgar Allan Poe
*Reader Warning* This book is full of triggers and not for the weak of heart. I’m not kidding!
Annabel has been fighting a battle with mental illness. Diagnosed manic depressive, she’s recently been released from a mental institution. Needing a fresh start away from the prying eyes of her family, Annabel goes on holiday to the coast of Suffolk. But little did she realize when booking her escape, this seaside village has been plagued with horrific deaths of young women. Not one easily put off by this news, Annabel opts to stay and meets a mysterious man, Jude, who befriends her and offers a chance to get away from her troubles and live within the confines of his “community”. As the days pass, Annabel is haunted by visions of pain and despair. Annabel must make a choice to either stay locked away within the safety Jude offers or fight off the nightmare her life has become.
After reading the blurb for Broken, I was intrigued and requested a copy. Dear Reader, this story is NOTHING like the blurb teases. Broken is a hauntingly horrific tale that will reach into the darkest corners of your mind and stay there. Rape, murder and madness abound in this graphic story, and I honestly am at a loss as how to rate it. My first instinct was I didn’t like it. But the author did such a good job in the depiction of the depravity done to Annabel that I had to stop and rethink how to review the book. Can I recommend? Not really. I do read a lot of dark erotica and disturbing accounts, but Broken was a little out of even my comfort zone. However, if you are a fan of torture porn and a story with lots of twists and turns, this may be right up your alley! Kudos to Betsy Reavley for creating a world that finally reached my “ick” warning.
*Received ARC via NetGalley for honest review*
February 18, 2019
Broken evoked a broad scope of emotions while I was reading it. This book is as beautiful as it is gut churningly uncomfortable.
I was so invested in Annabel's character that I had to read along, even though at times it was definitely through my fingers. It’s not a comfortable read, but I felt I owed her.
Betsy reached in to my heart with Annabel, and tortured my soul. This is a story that has never truly left me. I read it the first time as Beneath The Watery Moon – if you have done so too then I highly recommend reading this version.
It has been adapted, stripped back and still leaves you an emotional wreck while encompassing what it set out to achieve.
A story about mental health, abuse is never going to be an easy read, but the words and storytelling in this are one of the best I have ever read.
There is a veil of darkness and you are left questioning your own ideas on Annabel's story. I never feel my review of this book does the author justice.
You will question everything by the time you have finished Broken. This is the darkest book I have ever read, and am likely to, it is mesmerising and horrific, even having read the story before it did not fully prepared me for the emotions I knew I was going to feel.
At the end you will be left to deal with your thoughts and conclusions. What I do like about Broken is the Q and A the author has added at the end of the book.
It took me a few days to digest what I had read, and I still haven't fully answered the questions in the back of the book, because this is the most unsettling read ever and I am unsure if my thoughts on it will ever settle down enough to answer them fully.
There is beauty within this brutal story, which is what makes this a page turning book and it grabbed me from the start and left me Broken by the end. It is still in my all-time favourite reads and my favourite book written by this author to date.
February 25, 2019
Gosh, this is a frightening read. I veered from feeling that the protagonist was insane, then thought I was.
I find it difficult the words to precis this complicated story because the author is so adept at describing horror, amongst other things. The author covers all aspect of fear, depravity, insanity, and hell.
Annabelle is not at all well and finds herself in a mental hospital for her own safety. Her incarceration is as a result of the cumulative effect of her sister dying in a car accident, and her father's departure. Her younger brother Will and her Mother are so prot4ective of her, but after she leaves the hospital, she wants to spread her wings.
Despite the news being full of the murders of two women, she goes to Southworld on her own for a few days. By making her excuses at home, she and the family dog get a few days in order for her to feel normal. There, she meets charismatic Jude, owner of Christie Hall where he invites her.
After another two visits, she is invited to live there and gratefully accepts. Her feels for Jude eventually appear to be reciprocated and they embark on a romantic trip to Thailand. The narration tells of the trip to Thailand, her and Jude's love for each other.
The other “reality” is waking to find herself locked in a basement/cellar and the brutal regime that is forced on her.
What an imagination the author has, she takes us to places even our nightmares won#t entertain. The bodies of the murdered girls are described as brutalised. What happens to Annabelle far exceeds that, and we follow her long and painful journey, This is not for the squeamish. This is a difficult book to read, with the detail, but it is impossible not to keep reading until the end.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are all my own and completely unbiased. My thanks to NetGalley for this opportunity.
I find it difficult the words to precis this complicated story because the author is so adept at describing horror, amongst other things. The author covers all aspect of fear, depravity, insanity, and hell.
Annabelle is not at all well and finds herself in a mental hospital for her own safety. Her incarceration is as a result of the cumulative effect of her sister dying in a car accident, and her father's departure. Her younger brother Will and her Mother are so prot4ective of her, but after she leaves the hospital, she wants to spread her wings.
Despite the news being full of the murders of two women, she goes to Southworld on her own for a few days. By making her excuses at home, she and the family dog get a few days in order for her to feel normal. There, she meets charismatic Jude, owner of Christie Hall where he invites her.
After another two visits, she is invited to live there and gratefully accepts. Her feels for Jude eventually appear to be reciprocated and they embark on a romantic trip to Thailand. The narration tells of the trip to Thailand, her and Jude's love for each other.
The other “reality” is waking to find herself locked in a basement/cellar and the brutal regime that is forced on her.
What an imagination the author has, she takes us to places even our nightmares won#t entertain. The bodies of the murdered girls are described as brutalised. What happens to Annabelle far exceeds that, and we follow her long and painful journey, This is not for the squeamish. This is a difficult book to read, with the detail, but it is impossible not to keep reading until the end.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are all my own and completely unbiased. My thanks to NetGalley for this opportunity.
February 24, 2019
Broken
by Besty Reavley
This book was not quite what I was expecting. Many twists and turns leading to some pretty traumatic events. This book is quite graphic and suggested for 18+. Annabel's attempt to have a new future after her struggles with mental illness, seem to be working out well at first. Annabel is beginning life anew after a bipolar episode hospitalization. Making new friends, getting away from her mom's suffocating, and thinking about her future start this off well, but there is also a murder to figure into the picture.
Lots of twists, turns, and suprises along this twisted road. Definitely worth reading. I was given this book for review purposes.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Annabel, a troubled young woman trying to put her life back together, decides to take a trip to the Suffolk coast to clear her head and get away from her mother. But when she arrives in the little seaside town, she discovers a series of grisly murders have taken place and police are searching for a twisted killer.
After a fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger, Jude, the course of her life changes and soon she finds peace in a world away from the misery she has known.
But when Jude comes under suspicion from the police, and her idyllic world is threatened, Annabel’s happy existence starts to become a nightmare.
Can Annabel escape her painful past or is her fate sealed? And why is she haunted by horrific visions when she seems on the verge of finding happiness?
This astonishing novel will take you on a shattering journey through Annabel’s fight for survival and will ask if the greatest threat we pose is to ourselves.
Suitable for over 18’s only. It contains graphic scenes some readers may find disturbing.
(previously published under the title Beneath the Watery Moon)
by Besty Reavley
This book was not quite what I was expecting. Many twists and turns leading to some pretty traumatic events. This book is quite graphic and suggested for 18+. Annabel's attempt to have a new future after her struggles with mental illness, seem to be working out well at first. Annabel is beginning life anew after a bipolar episode hospitalization. Making new friends, getting away from her mom's suffocating, and thinking about her future start this off well, but there is also a murder to figure into the picture.
Lots of twists, turns, and suprises along this twisted road. Definitely worth reading. I was given this book for review purposes.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Annabel, a troubled young woman trying to put her life back together, decides to take a trip to the Suffolk coast to clear her head and get away from her mother. But when she arrives in the little seaside town, she discovers a series of grisly murders have taken place and police are searching for a twisted killer.
After a fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger, Jude, the course of her life changes and soon she finds peace in a world away from the misery she has known.
But when Jude comes under suspicion from the police, and her idyllic world is threatened, Annabel’s happy existence starts to become a nightmare.
Can Annabel escape her painful past or is her fate sealed? And why is she haunted by horrific visions when she seems on the verge of finding happiness?
This astonishing novel will take you on a shattering journey through Annabel’s fight for survival and will ask if the greatest threat we pose is to ourselves.
Suitable for over 18’s only. It contains graphic scenes some readers may find disturbing.
(previously published under the title Beneath the Watery Moon)
February 17, 2019
3.5 stars!
I have gone around and around on how to rate Broken, and how to review it. Part of me wanted to rate it low because it's just so insanely dark and graphic and disturbing and because of that, difficult to read.
But, Betsy Reavley has done a superb job of writing both an unreliable narrator and surprising me with one of the biggest twists ever, so no matter how much I had to skim because her writing wormed its way so far under my skin it wasn't funny, it is an extremely well-written book. But - all my trigger warnings apply. All. Of. Them. Like, seriously. I'm saying it again, so you can't say you weren't warned.
Our main character, Annabel, is trying to find her way after being released from a mental institution. She finds her way to the Suffolk Coast, with the vague knowledge that girls have gone missing and turned up tortured and maimed beyond recognition. When she meets the handsome Jude, she starts to plan a new life, even while having disturbing and graphic dreams of pain and torture that she can't quite decipher. Is her manic depressive out of control? Or have the stories of the murdered girls affected her that much?
I can't say too much without giving the whole thing away, so I'm just going to send you back to those first two paragraphs. When this book flips the script, it's simultaneously mind-blowing and horrific. I've read some dark stuff and my tolerance for the twisted is pretty high, so I really have to give Ms. Reavley all the props in the world for finally giving me something that really tripped my "nope" meter!
Thank you so much to Ms. Reavley and Bloodhound Books for giving me the opportunity to read Broken in return for my honest review.
I have gone around and around on how to rate Broken, and how to review it. Part of me wanted to rate it low because it's just so insanely dark and graphic and disturbing and because of that, difficult to read.
But, Betsy Reavley has done a superb job of writing both an unreliable narrator and surprising me with one of the biggest twists ever, so no matter how much I had to skim because her writing wormed its way so far under my skin it wasn't funny, it is an extremely well-written book. But - all my trigger warnings apply. All. Of. Them. Like, seriously. I'm saying it again, so you can't say you weren't warned.
Our main character, Annabel, is trying to find her way after being released from a mental institution. She finds her way to the Suffolk Coast, with the vague knowledge that girls have gone missing and turned up tortured and maimed beyond recognition. When she meets the handsome Jude, she starts to plan a new life, even while having disturbing and graphic dreams of pain and torture that she can't quite decipher. Is her manic depressive out of control? Or have the stories of the murdered girls affected her that much?
I can't say too much without giving the whole thing away, so I'm just going to send you back to those first two paragraphs. When this book flips the script, it's simultaneously mind-blowing and horrific. I've read some dark stuff and my tolerance for the twisted is pretty high, so I really have to give Ms. Reavley all the props in the world for finally giving me something that really tripped my "nope" meter!
Thank you so much to Ms. Reavley and Bloodhound Books for giving me the opportunity to read Broken in return for my honest review.
January 29, 2019
Oh wow! I almost read this in one sitting- I couldn’t put it down.Annabel has been in a psychiatric home after suffering a breakdown. She has manic depression. Being released to the care of her family home, she decides after a while to take herself off for a few days, telling her family that she is staying with a friend. Whilst there she meets Jude who seems to understand her as she off loads to him and he promises to show her what freedom is and his own story. The town she is staying in has recently had two young women murdered. Something Annabel knew but hadn’t associated with her choice of location for her break. We get occasional glimpses of a woman taken prisoner. Firstly trapped in the boot of a car and then in a cellar with her hands and feet bound. This is Annabel's recurring nightmare, where she can’t get away from her faceless tormentor and she awakes dripping in sweat to find she is somewhere she knows, safe and secure.Oh boy! Betsy has written some wonderful books, however this one take sit to a new level. Not an easy read in parts and I won’t give too much away other than to say never underestimate the power of the imagination. A stunning read, a clever plot. One I most certainly will not forget in a hurry.
For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
or follow me on Twitter @nickijmurphy1
Amazon Top 1000 reviewer.
For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
or follow me on Twitter @nickijmurphy1
Amazon Top 1000 reviewer.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews